Base city: Oxford, England

For this leg of the trip, we were staying in Oxford, England, where I studied abroad last year. It's fairly easy to get around to small cities in England from Oxford, and I loved being based there for nostalgic reasons. 

Accommodations: The River Hotel, Botley Road

We had a bit of a hotel fiasco when we arrived in Oxford on the 14th. We were supposed to be staying in the Oxford Backpackers Hostel, but upon arrival, discovered that they had overbooked the female dorm and moved us to the coed rooms. Okay, we thought to ourselves, we can handle this. But the hits kept piling up: there were no lockers for our luggage (as promised), the space was dim and grimy, and as soon as we sat on our bunks, two homeless men wheeled in their carts and took their spots in the bed above mine and below Mary's. We cut our losses and booked a mid-range hotel down the road, spending less than an hour in the hostel before checking into our alternate accommodations. 

The River Hotel ended up being on of the best decisions we ever made. The room was clean and had its own bathroom and shower. The staff were friendly and helpful, even when we stumbled on their doorstep with a whopping 15-minute-old reservation. And the best part: they fixed us eggs, bacon, and toast with hot chocolate or coffee every morning for free. 

Transportation: National Express bus (5 hours)

July 15: Brighton, England

Looking back on it, Brighton is one of the major things I would change. Not because I didn't love it (I did), but because for some reason my scrambled mind didn't think to make our trip to Brighton part of our London leg of the journey, which would have made it infinitely easier to get to. As it was, we woke up at 4:30 a.m. to take a bus from Oxford to London, then from London to Brighton (after having spent almost 24 hours on transportation the day prior). 

We arrived at Brighton at around 10:30 a.m, greeted by the salty smell of the sea and the wind whipping our faces. It was in the 70's and perfect: sky bright blue, water beautifully aquamarine, tourists not yet outside. We took our time walking along the Brighton Pier as the workers were dashing about in preparation for its opening, appreciating how much the sea made this day feel like an actual vacation. Then, we made our way down to the pebbled beach, walking along the line of cute shops and restaurants, reaching the skeletal remains of the old pier washed out to sea. 

After eating lunch at a spot along the beach, we headed in towards town to the North Laine Market. It was lined with Anthropologie-esque shops studded with trendy billowy dresses and succulents. One shop promised to house Native American wares, so we couldn't resist. American country music was playing on the inside, it reeked of burning sage, and everything it sold was distinctly more voodoo than Native American. 

We then made our way to the Royal Pavilion and Brighton Dome. The Royal Pavilion was a residence of George IV, and it sticks out against the surrounding English landscape with its Indo-Islamic architecture. This exotic palace was quite fashionable during the Regency period, and its beautiful gardens provide a lovely backdrop for an afternoon walk or a picnic lunch, 

After we left the Pavilion, we found ourselves drawn back to the beach, where we sifted through the water-worn rocks and sea glass and watched groups of teenagers joke about throwing each other into the freezing water. A few brave souls were swimming, and I didn't envy them. 

At that point the wind became a little chilly and some dark clouds rolled in, so we decided to seek refuge in Sea Life Brighton, the world's oldest operating aquarium. The entryway was a huge Victorian arcade, the walls cast in different shades of bright colors by hidden lights. The arcade was lined with tanks, not all fully enclosed, and one exhibit allowed you to touch a sea anemone and a starfish. We entered the large amphitheater-style room where the glass bottom boat tours were held just as a sea turtle talk was about to happen. Sea turtles being my second favorite animal, I was ecstatic to see them up close and personal as they were fed (they were close enough to splash us!) 

After Sea Life, we had fish and chips at the Regency (and it did not disappoint), then went for a walk down the Pier. The main building is an arcade filled with those games where you shoot a coin down a chute in an attempt to knock the the rest of the coins off the edge. We lost £2, but randomly won a bunch of tickets that we traded in for some Disney princess bubbles. And, as you do, we spent the last part of our day trip having a bubbles photoshoot on the Pier. 

By the end of the day, my camera lens was covered in salt, and we were sunburned yet again. Brighton was an interesting spot, most of the tourists seemingly Italian or British, so the atmosphere was very different than the other cities we visited. However, I would not miss the opportunity to sit on the pebbled shore and eat fish and chips while seagulls whirl overhead.

If you missed the previous installment of this trip, about our time in Boston, go here.